


can i kill it with you (till the veins run red and blue)

by tapiocasoob



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, i definitely didn't project in this fic why would you say that, im sorry this is so American, mild spoilers for spiderman far from home but it's been out since 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 08:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30086481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tapiocasoob/pseuds/tapiocasoob
Summary: Soobin has a crush on Yeonjun. So does everyone and their mother.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 14
Kudos: 133





	can i kill it with you (till the veins run red and blue)

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is my first fic ever so i’m a bit nervous to post this. 
> 
> this takes place somewhere in southern california, the boys are all korean-american but none of their parents gave them white names, don’t question it *sweats nervously*
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading <33
> 
> title from [400 lux by lorde](https://open.spotify.com/track/6rjtB7KSIiJ6v9vrACMlqF?si=CgyyHQnjQOGgCOeWtg38qQ)

“Soobin, what would you do without me?” 

“ _Gyu,_ please, I’ll just find another group to room with, really I-” Soobin shout-whispers back.

“Gosh, you are just so adorable. If your cute head wasn’t attached to your neck that was attached to your awkwardly tall body-”

“Hey Beomgyu! You found someone else to room with us?” Yeonjun says as he and Taehyun turn around from ahead of the line. Suddenly, Soobin has four sets of eyes on him, Yeonjun’s, Taehyun’s, Beomgyu’s, and his own, staring back at his body from where his soul has left this existence.

“You bet I did. You know Soobin right?” Beomgyu gestures next to him, where he’s pretty sure Soobin hasn’t blinked for the past twenty seconds.

“Yeah, I do. You play flute right?” Yeonjun’s eyes glide over towards Soobin and he runs a hand through his bleached blonde hair. Soobin’s eyes linger on the droplets of sweat clinging to tan, sunkissed skin. 

Blinking quickly, he manages “I- flut- yes.”

Yeonjun grins at them, teeth wonderfully showing, eye smile on full display then turns back around. Taehyun gives Soobin a knowing look.

“Next!” 

Soobin cringes as he feels Beomgyu’s hand tighten around his forearm as he is dragged forward to the chaperone behind Yeonjun and Taehyun.

“Alright kids, names?” the band mom says.

“Yeonjun Choi, Taehyun Kang, Beomgyu Choi, and Soobin Choi.” Yeonjun says.

She scribbles down their names. “Okay great. Remember what Director Sullivan talked to you guys about. At the hotel, be respectful of other patrons and no noise after lights out. After the parents tape your door, nobody goes in or out of the room. If you have any issues, you can call the parent on your floor, they’ll give you their number. Any questions?”

“Don’t worry Ms. Sunga, I’ll keep these kids under control.” Yeonjun says, only half-joking.

“Ay nako, all right kids get out of here,” she says, exasperated but still amused.

 _Save me,_ Soobin pleads.

To say it wasn’t always this bad would be lying. Ever since Soobin was a little baby freshman who passed by the drumline rehearsing on the way to woodwind sectionals, it was pretty much over for him. He caught sight of long legs, pretty catlike eyes, and full pouty lips, and it was like he was watching Tangled for the first time all over again. He was ten years old again and slack jawed watching Flynn Rider and realizing he was not as straight as he planned. At last I see the light indeed.

During his first meeting with the rest of the flute section, he quickly observed a few things. First, he wasn’t the only one who had noticed Yeonjun. As Soobin sat on the bleachers with the rest of the flute section, the conversation had slowly drifted from getting to know each other to crushes and relationships and cute people in general because this was high school.

“I think that one snare guy is kinda cute,” the freshman girl to Soobin says offhandedly.

“You must be talking about Yeonjun right? I mean, he is easily one of the cutest boys in band, definitely the cutest boy in battery. Yeah, no, I totally get that.” Alicia, the flute section leader adds in.

The rest of the upperclassmen girls laugh in agreement and a cold feeling washes over Soobin. He feels a bit stupid. He can’t tell if they’re joking or not, but the fact is that Yeonjun is the type of boy that gets the attention of older, pretty girls while Soobin struggles to coordinate his body of too long limbs and pretty much only talks to Beomgyu. Not that platonic relationships are of less value than romantic ones, but still. He feels embarrassed that he even entertained the thought. 

The next year as Yeonjun became a junior, it became completely normal, even expected, for what seemed like everyone to have a crush on him at some point. So Soobin couldn’t be blamed. It’s just inevitable. 

_Yeonjun Choi._ Soobin mouths his name to himself. He loves how the syllables form between his lips. _Yeonjun Choi._

Sometime in his sophomore year, Soobin sits on the retention wall outside school with Beomgyu, waiting for his mom to pick them up after rehearsal. 

Soobin hears the sound of keys on a lanyard and footsteps coming towards him. Yeonjun, Soobin can tell from the laughter that accompanies. He can’t help but follow with his eyes, as Yeonjun walks hand in hand to the parking lot with one of the senior trumpet girls. He vaguely remembers Taehyun telling him her name was Avani.

“And then Joshua Pham finally got me to tell him what I got on the Chapter 4 test. Then he was like “81%? No, that’s so good, so much better than me I literally failed, Beomgyu.” so when I asked him what he got he said , “97%, I know it’s terrible it’s like my worst grade.” Beomgyu says, before noticing Soobin hasn’t replied or reacted back in any way.

“So then I punched him in the face. And I broke his nose. Now there’s blood everywhere, and everyone is screaming and-”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

“-and you’re not listening to me at all aren’t you, because clearly you’re so busy with,” Beomgyu looks towards the general direction where Soobin is now openly staring, “oh my god. Don’t tell me you have the heart eyes for Yeonjun disease.”

“What? Please can you shut the fuck up- ” Soobin snaps his head back towards his best friend at the sound of him saying Yeonjun’s name. 

“You totally do. Don’t even try and correct me, I know this for sure,” Beomgyu says, both of them now watching Yeonjun open the passenger door for Avani.

Soobin looks around to make sure nobody is in their vicinity and whispers to him, “Look, it’s not a big deal. I might have liked him since like freshman year but-”

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner.”

“-but it’s nothing. I mean, like, nothing could possibly happen there.” 

Beomgyu cringes.

“Thanks for that,”

“Hey, no, I didn’t say anything. I mean, objectively, you’re kind of attractive. You’re also pretty smart. You’re just awkward and insecure enough to be endearing and not inherently unlikeable. You never know.” 

“Right... well, thank you for that? I think? But it doesn’t even matter because he is super super straight.”

“You’re welcome, see I’m nice sometimes. And how do you know that? Have you ever asked him? Wait, of course you haven’t, have you ever asked anyone? Taehyun maybe?”

Soobin glares at him, “I don’t think I need to. I have no evidence proving otherwise.”

“The world is a crazy place, Soobin.”

“Shut up, your mom’s here.

Beomgyu’s mom pulls into the parking lot with her and the conversation ends there. Of course since that evening, for the rest of sophomore and junior year, and probably his life, Beomgyu continuously teases Soobin about his frankly, very obvious crush. Unfortunately, Soobin can’t even blame him. He’s been told he’s cute when he’s flustered.

_“Look, you really should be thanking me for this. I still remember that day sophomore year. How long has it been Yeonjun for you? Ten years?”_ Beomgyu asks as he puts his switch and his charger in his duffel bag.

Soobin groans at the sound of Beomgyu’s voice in his airpods. “I haven’t even known him for ten years. And we’ve already pretty much confirmed he’s straight.” 

_“Again, the absence of evidence proving otherwise doesn’t mean he’s straight. I really do get this energy from him. Look, champs is this weekend, we’re rooming with him and Taehyun, I’ll somehow find a reason to share a bed with Taehyun so you two can-”_

“Beomgyu, the SCSBOA 6A Championships is not exactly the most romantic place to confess my undying fucking affection to Yeonjun. And I’m pretty sure you won’t have much trouble finding a reason to share with Taehyun.” Soobin says hotly as he shoves his marching uniform and Drillmasters into his bag.

 _“... Okay, you’re being ridiculous,”_ Beomgyu’s voice echoes from his phone, _“Yeonjun is in high school just like us, this is probably as romantic as it gets. We’re away from school, no parents, well the chaperones but not our parents, and besides he’s graduating. Once the season ends you’ll rarely see him. You might as well tell him. What’s the worst that could happen.”_

Soobin gives up on packing and lies down on the ground, because that’s the type of day he’s having right now. I guess the stakes are pretty low. The worst that could happen is he’s forced to sleep on the chair or something to avoid any awkwardness when Yeonjun kindly yet firmly rejects him.

“Gyu, thank you for your encouragement. But I spend pretty much all my time with Yeonjun in the back of my head, and I think this week is not a good time to think about this. Besides we have other things to worry about, don’t we? Like maybe something that’s happening on Saturday?”

_”Fuck, SAT. I really think I forgot everything Elite taught us over the summer. I remember the first mock test that we took, Taehyun got like a 1570. And I know he’s been using Khan Academy to study every weekend. I don’t know how he does it. He’s one of those smart people who’s also cute and athletic and actually humble, it’s so unfair, I hate him.”_

A beat of silence, “Do you now?”

_”...”_

Soobin found that bus seating arrangements for show days rarely change. They might as well be assigned. If you’re in a relationship, you sit next to them. If you’re not, you sit with someone in your friend group. If you’re sitting with someone who isn’t a friend, people will probably talk. You might as well have announced a new relationship right there.

So why is it 6:50 in the morning and Beomgyu is telling him he’s switching to sit with Taehyun?

“You’re telling me this now? We’re literally standing in line to get on the bus! Wait, does this mean I’m sitting with-”

“Hi Beomgyu! Hi Soobin!”

Soobin and Beomgyu turn around to see Taehyun and Yeonjun walking towards them. Soobin looks at Beomgyu, disgusted to see his face light up when Taehyun smiles and stands next to him. Is that what he looks like?

“Hey Soobin. You don’t mind sitting with me right?” Yeonjun says, half joking, half serious, like he would actually switch if Soobin wanted him to.

“No, I-I’m, it’s totally fine, actually I’m happy to sit with you.” Soobin stutters, why is he stuttering? His mom made him take public speaking classes in 8th grade, he thinks he’s usually eloquent, or at least understandable.

Yeonjun grins.

Thankfully, they’re sitting closer to the back, where less people can look forward and see them. A few rows behind them is Beomgyu and Taehyun, who are now playing Super Smash Bros. together on Beomgyu’s Nintendo Switch. Which is exactly what Soobin would’ve been doing with him right now, traitor.

The sting of Beomgyu’s betrayal is definitely softened by the fact he is currently sitting next to Yeonjun in a cramped bus, the space between their seat and the row in front of them too small for either of their legs to settle comfortably.

“I brought a blanket, we can share if we want to sleep later.” Yeonjun says.

 _We. Share._ It makes Soobin’s skin prickle. 

“Okay. I always get cold on the bus.”

“Here,” Yeonjun reaches up, and Soobin is horrified to see a sliver of skin peek out from above the waistband of his pants when he pulls the window closed. He sits back down, “is that better?”

“Yeah, thank you.” Soobin says weakly.

To Soobin’s surprise, his ‘stuttering around Yeonjun’ problem goes away over the course of the bus ride. After all, sitting right next to someone for four hours means you end up getting comfortable with them at least in some capacity. Soobin was planning on rewatching a Marvel movie with Beomgyu for part of the ride and he brings that up to Yeonjun.

“Oh, Far From Home? I love that movie! We could watch it together if you want?”

Yeonjun scoots closer to Soobin so Soobin can put his laptop over both of their laps.

“I think I even have a share jack we can use, like in the movie!” Yeonjun says happily. 

As the movie goes on, Soobin is confused, to say the least. He hasn’t spoken to Yeonjun many times before, but he had this impression he was more on the serious side, always seeming put together and, well, perfect, for lack of a better word. But Soobin watches the boy next to him, face still slightly puffy from the early morning, flecks of dark stubble just peeking through his skin, clothes rumpled from sitting in one position for so long, and he looks so _real_. Close enough for Soobin touch. Just nearly in reach.

Soobin is dismayed to find that the little imperfections make him like Yeonjun more. He also almost wishes Yeonjun was a terrible person to talk to, maybe he could make the argument his crush was purely physical. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Soobin realizes that even if he wasn’t badly in love with Yeonjun, he would still want him around as company, as a friend. 

“I love this part,” Yeonjun says, sitting up straighter to focus entirely on the movie.

 _I mean, look at yourself. You are just a scared little kid in a sweatsuit. I created Mysterio to give the world something to believe in!_ Jake Gyllenhaal shouts on screen.

“What are you talking about? This part is so sad, I almost cried the first time watching it.”

“Aww, poor Soobin. But it’s interesting! It made me feel bad for him and it made me want Peter to beat Mysterio more now. Oh, this line gave me chills.”

_If you were good enough._

Yeonjun grabs Soobin’s shoulder and stares directly at him to act out the next line, and suddenly, Yeonjun is about four inches away from his face and his eyes are shining with mock emotion to add to the dramatic effect.

“Maybe Tony would still be alive.”

Wow. What were they doing before this? Why is Yeonjun staring at him? How is he this pretty at 8 in the morning? 

“Fuck! Oh my god!” Soobin jumps, covering his face with his hands as the music loudly starts up back again and a zombie Iron Man on screen reaches out from under the grave to crawl towards Spiderman.

Yeonjun throws his head back against the seat, laughing. “I thought you knew it was coming! You still got scared!”

Soobin did know it was coming, he was just a little (a lot) distracted and he forgot at that moment. “I did know - I was just so in shock of your terrible acting skills that it made me forget.”

“Right, right, sure. Do you need me to hold your hand throughout the rest of the movie?” 

Yes, Soobin would like that very much. Not just throughout the movie, but maybe forever.

“Ah, I get it, I get it.” Soobin grumbles, face flushing and lips forming into a sullen pout. 

There’s really no true sulk behind the pout though, Soobin can’t find any reason to be upset right now. 

Once the movie’s finished, Soobin starts to feel himself nodding off. He’s found he can fall asleep really easily. When he opens his eyes, he sees Yeonjun quickly looking away, almost like he was watching him asleep.

“Um,” Yeonnun says, clearly feeling like he just got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do, “Are you cold?” Yeonjun offers Soobin part of his blanket. 

Soobin nods. He really isn’t that cold, he’s wearing a shirt and a hoodie already, but his chest twinges at how considerate Yeonjun is acting.

Yeonjun pulls the blanket over both of them and Soobin feels his eyes close again.

Yeonjun is very out of his depth. Soobin’s very asleep head keeps lolling at a frankly scary angle, almost like it’s going to fall off at any moment. The bus jolts, and Soobin is pitched forward and he’s slumped over, head against the seat in front of them. Yeonjun’s eyes widen in fear, is he hurt?

Kai Huening’s head pops out after feeling the thump from Soobin’s head against his seat. 

“What the fu- Oh, hi Yeonjun!” Kai starts, before seeing Yeonjun. Kai is a sophomore. His mom and Yeonjun’s mom have been friends for years now. They’re in a band mom group chat together and everything.

Kai sees Yeonjun’s worried expression, staring at Soobin who is somehow still asleep. 

“Help! What should I do? Soobin’s going to sprain his neck at this point, isn’t he?”

Kai laughs at how concerned Yeonjun is, “Don’t you know what you’re supposed to do in this situation? He’s obviously supposed to lean on your shoulder so you can rest your head against his later for you to fall asleep. Here, just-”

Kai turns and leans against the back of his seat to pick up Soobin’s head and carefully rests it on Yeonjun’s shoulder. Miraculously, he still doesn’t wake up. It probably isn’t the most comfortable for Soobin, so Yeonjun straightens up so he isn’t leaning over too much.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Kai sits back down, not before winking at Yeonjun, almost to say “you’re welcome.”

Yeonjun can’t argue with that sentiment. Soobin’s hair smells nice, how is that fair? He wants to sniff it, but that is probably one of the creepiest, technically non-harmful things you can do to someone who’s asleep and can’t object. 

“Mmph.” Soobin mutters in his sleep, rearranging himself so his body is angled closer towards Yeonjun. Yeonjun can feel the heat radiating off him. Soobin must’ve just wanted to share a blanket with him. Yeonjun smiles to himself, before closing his eyes as well. 

“You need to help me, I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Well Soobin, we’re at rehearsal at some high school, we’re sitting on a very dead grass field, you’re holding on to my arm really hard, and you’re not whispering as quietly as you think you are.” Beomgyu says. 

The buses arrived at their rehearsal site, Elk Creek High School, a few hours ago. The sweltering heat almost made Soobin forget that he fell asleep on Yeonjun’s shoulder for half of the bus ride. He had opened his eyes to Yeonjun leaning against him as well, hand loosely clenched on his forearm. Soobin panicked and just closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep until the bus stopped moving. At that point, Yeonjun woke up, smiled sleepily at Soobin, before getting off the bus. All while seeming completely unbothered.

“Yeah, you guys looked really cute. I posted pictures on my private already, sorry.” Kai holds his phone out, clicking through his private Snapchat story where about five pictures of Soobin and Yeonjun sleeping against each other have been uploaded.

“What?! Why did you do that?”

“I couldn’t help it! But it was stressful, I felt like some celebrity’s manager responding to dating rumors after. Joyce Chen replied asking if you guys were together and I didn’t know what to say so I just said there has been no official statement made at this time.”

“Nobody talks like that!” Soobin says faintly. He can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Yeah, that’s what she said. I’m sorry, you guys were really too cute not to share. If anything, it’s your fault.”

“You might as well just post it on your main story, I’m pretty sure like 90% of the band is on your private anyway.” Beomgyu says, checking Snapchat to see the pictures for himself.

“What can I say, I’m just likeable like that.”

“While true that is really not the point. I’m just really confused. I don’t want to get my hopes up or anything but talking to him on the bus was really nice. And then he let me sleep on him, I mean do you guys think Yeonjun-”

“Likes you back? Yeah, I’m pretty sure he does.” Beomgyu says without looking up, eyes staring at his phone currently texting Taehyun.

“Are you seriously texting Taehyun right now? Can you at least ask if he knows anything about Yeonjun? Is he acting weird?”

“Soobin, you need to calm down. You’re getting all tense,” Kai says, putting an arm around Soobin and stroking his head with his free hand. “Gross, your hair is all sweaty.”

“So Taehyun just told me that Yeonjun looks calm on the outside, but being the best friend he says he can tell he’s nervous right now. Not sure if it’s about champs or about you though. Maybe both? Maybe it’s about something else entirely?”

Soobin groans, putting his head in his hands. 

Rehearsal continued, giving Soobin very minimal time to overthink and spiral. He’s pretty sure his brain was ten minutes from being boiled alive in his skull, that’s how hot it felt. After rehearsal finished, Soobin catches a glimpse of Yeonjun as they load the trucks to drive to the hotel, he has his sleeves folded up and part of his hair is tied up in a little ponytail, slightly sweaty strands falling in front of him. It’s distracting, watching his muscles flex under tan skin as he lifts cases of drums onto the trucks. 

The hotel is only a short bus ride away, less than ten minutes. Soobin and Yeonjun have sparse conversation throughout the ride, both of them too exhausted to say much.

Once they arrive at the hotel, the parent chaperones give them their keycards and herds everyone to their rooms. It’s already 11 PM, everyone looking a little worse for wear. 

“I’m showering first.” Taehyun says heading straight for the bathroom with his duffel bag as soon as they get to their room.

“I’ll go next.” Beomgyu says, sitting himself at the desk to pick up the remote and turning on the TV. 

“Do you want to shower after Beomgyu? I don’t mind going last.” Yeonjun says, facing Soobin. 

“Oh, yeah sure. Thanks.” Has he always been this nice?

Beomgyu finds the wifi password, and they plug their laptops and phones in to either work on homework or mindlessly watch something on their phones while waiting for their turn to shower. When Soobin is finished with the bathroom, he looks to find Beomgyu and Taehyun lying on the bed on the far side of the room, both already passed out.

Yeonjun looks at Soobin, then back at the one unoccupied bed and shrugs. “I’m okay with sharing with you.”

_I’m okay with sharing with you?_ Yeonjun groans as he towels off his hair. You’re an idiot aren’t you? He opens his bag of toiletries and starts to get ready to sleep.

Soobin must think Yeonjun is too eager. Is that unattractive? Maybe (hopefully) Soobin finds it endearing. Was he talking too much earlier on the bus? Was he talking too little? Yeonjun shakes his head, trying to snap out of it and focuses on brushing his teeth. 

He remembers the conversation he had with Taehyun earlier while they loaded the trucks.

“So… Glad you did something about Soobin.” Taehyun passed him a quad case with shocking ease. That guy is so strong for no reason.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes and lifted the case to secure it on the rack, “I didn’t _do_ anything. I didn’t say anything to him and it was Kai who put Soobin’s head on my shoulder. I’m pretty sure he was freaked out when we woke up, so I just smiled at him and left the bus without saying anything.”

“Why would you do that.”

“Because apparently I no longer remember social skills around Soobin. He probably thinks I’m a dumbass who held onto his arm while he was asleep.”

“You did that? God, you’re really embarrassing.” Taehyun actually looks disappointed.

“Thanks man.”

He was right. Yeonjun was being super obvious, it must be embarrassing. He can’t believe how unsmooth he acted. He looks at the box of hair dye he brought with him. His mom said he could dye it if he wanted to, just make sure to get Taehyun to help him. But before he even got to the bathroom, he watched as Taehyun fell fast asleep, with Beomgyu no less. Traitor.

As much as he would like to, Soobin can’t sleep well. He keeps waking up, only to check his phone to see he’s only slept for half an hour. Usually, he would just have Beomgyu curled up next to him, and they would’ve fallen asleep quickly after showering. But this time, he knows it’s Yeonjun next to him. He doesn’t face his side of the bed, knowing Yeonjun’s long legs are under the same comforters as his. Yeonjun’s bleached hair that smells like hotel shampoo is just in his reach. Soobin figures it’s normal enough for him to turn in his sleep, and if he’s awake he can’t help look, only to find Yeonjun isn’t there.

Soobin slowly sits up and looks around the room and sees light peek out from under the bathroom door. Okay. He puts on his slides (his mom always told him that hotel room carpets are dirty) and stops in front of the mirror to make sure he doesn’t look completely disheveled before knocking.

“Oh. Hey Soobin”

He panics and turns around to face the bathroom door, which is now cracked open slightly. Yeonjun stands in front of him.

“Oh, hi. I thought the door was closed. What are you still doing up? We have to be up at 7 tomorrow.” Soobin says, still hovering in the hallway.

“I’m dyeing my hair,” Yeonjun gestures towards the blue box hair color on the floor, “Taehyun was supposed to help me but,” They turn to look at Taehyun and Beomgyu, softly snoring away. Soobin thinks he sees Taehyun’s leg hooked around Beomgyu. “Yeah. Want to help instead?”

“Dyeing your hair? Won’t it be distracting on the field?”

Yeonjun blinks at him with a small smile, “I’m sure the shako is going to cover most of it anyway. Do you want to help or not?”

“Okay, sure. Your hair is already blonde so it shouldn’t be too bad right? But don’t blame me if you end up looking terrible.” 

“You know that’s impossible.”

  


**mood: _[slow dancing in the dark](https://open.spotify.com/track/0rKtyWc8bvkriBthvHKY8d?si=PmbGMmS0QpWA5sY3oJhlMg)_** _by joji_

The bathroom is small and dingy and definitely not up to date with some health and safety regulations. Soobin is pretty sure he saw a dead cockroach earlier while he was in the shower. Yeonjun is sitting cross legged in the bathtub, his bluetooth speaker somewhere on the floor, playing soft music. Soobin kneels behind him, a pair of plastic gloves on his hands. After mixing the color with the developer, he starts to brush the dye to a section of Yeonjun’s hair, starting at the roots.

********

Setting the bowl of dye on the bathtub edge, Soobin reaches a gloved hand to spread the section of hair flat, then works the white creamy mixture into every spot with his fingers.

********

Yeonjun’s eyes close with a soft sigh and Soobin stiffens. 

********

“Oh, sorry, I’ll just use the brush instead. It doesn’t hurt right?”

********

“No it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt, actually it feels nice.” Yeonjun’s voice falters slightly. It must be Soobin’s hazy two am mind imagining things.

********

Once every strand is coated with dye, Soobin gets up to clean the bowl and brush and take off his gloves. 

********

“We have to wait thirty minutes now for the developer to do its thing,” Yeonjun reads from the side of the box, setting a timer on his phone. He steps out of the tub to sit against it, stretching his legs in front of him. “You wanna sit with me?”

********

Which is how Soobin finds himself sitting aside Yeonjun, on the floor of a terrible two star hotel bathroom. Seated, he still has a few inches on Yeonjun. He feels lightheaded. Must be the chemicals.

********

“Are you nervous for tomorrow? Or,” Yeonjun looks down at his phone, where the screen flashes the time. 2AM. “Today?”

********

“Um, not really. I think I’ll feel nervous right before we perform, but definitely not nearly as nervous as, like, freshman year,”

********

Yeonjun laughs, a quiet boyish sound, “I remember you during freshman year. Little 14 year old Soobin. I always saw you staring at the battery during warm up. I thought you were going to come over and correct my technique or something.”

********

“Pssh, no of course not, I just thought you guys were cool,” Soobin starts to wring his fingers, Yeonjun noticed him? “Um, I thought you were cool.” They both smell like the hotel body wash. It makes Soobin dizzy.

********

“Do you still think that?”

********

“I mean, battery is probably the coolest section right?”

********

“What about me?”

********

Soobin looks up at Yeonjun. He’s so close. One more inch and Soobin could feel his soft breath against his face. 

********

“You still think I’m cool?”

********

“Hah. Um, probably not as cool right now with your hair like this. But usually yeah.”

********

He’s closer now. Another inch and he could count the pores on Yeonjun’s skin. 

********

“...” Soobin says, lips parting slightly.

********

“Well, I think you’re cool too,” Now it’s Yeonjun’s turn to look down at his lap, “Actually I kind of always wondered.. uh, you and Beomgyu are really close. I’m sorry if this is weird to ask but are you guys together or something?”

********

Soobin blinks at him, “Oh, no we’re not. I’m pretty sure Beomgyu likes Taehyun,” hearing this, Yeonjun grins, “and I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t have told you that.”

********

“Don’t worry, I can tell you that Taehyun definitely likes him too so we’re even,”

********

They both laugh, Soobin feels Yeonjun’s shoulder brush against his. Yeonjun tilts his head back to look up at the bathroom ceiling, Soobin’s gaze lingers on the arch of his neck, how the bump of his Adam’s apple bobs against his skin. Soobin can’t remember why he hasn’t told Yeonjun yet.

********

_As romantic as it gets right?_

********

“Yeonjun, um,” Soobin takes a breath, “I want to tell you something. You probably hear this a lot-”

********

Yeonjun looks at him with skepticism, “Wait. Are you going to say what I think you’re going to say?”

********

Soobin had a whole speech planned. He did not expect Yeonjun interrupting him. What does he think he’s going to say?

********

“I… don’t know if we’re talking about the same thing…”

********

The song coming from the speaker fades out and the silence before the next one starts is stifling. Soobin feels all the confidence drain his body and realizes this is probably a very bad idea. 

********

Soobin folds his legs in and starts to get up, “Actually, I think I should go to sleep or something. You can probably finish your hair on your own-”

********

“Wait, Soobin,” Yeonjun flinches and reaches to grab Soobin’s hand, “That was a dick move, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you. Before you say anything, I also want to tell you something.”

********

“Okay,” His chest feels tight. 

********

Yeonjun sighs, “I’m not straight. Uh.. Everyone thinks I am, I’m actually bi.”

********

Soobin can feel Yeonjun’s eyes on him, “Oh. That’s great Yeonjun. I’m happy for you.” Maybe Yeonjun is coming out for the first time, this must be what he wanted to tell him.

********

“I,” his voice trails off, “Also wanted to tell you that I think you’re cute. Your dimples are cute, your eyes are cute, your smile is c- Just, you’re really great. You’re funny and you’re really smart and I like myself when I’m around you. And I know I don’t know much about you but I would really like to. I’m sorry, I’m talking a lot and-”

********

Soobin interrupts him by sitting back down, he is a masochist. “Is this a joke? Not about you being bi, but like... Is this some kind of bet with the drumline boys where you try and prank me or something?”

********

“What? No, of course not! While sadly that sounds like something they would come up with, this isn’t, Soobin, I promise. I really do like you, I thought I was pretty obvious about it.” Yeonjun says sheepishly. 

********

Soobin turns to look at Yeonjun front on for what seems like the first time tonight. His hair is still covered in frothy white dye, chapped lips in a small pout, cheeks slightly flushed. 

********

Soobin is really endeared. He feels something tingly under his skin and he also can’t believe this is really happening.

********

He feels Yeonjun’s hand against his nape, threading his fingers through the short hairs. Yeonjun’s eyes dart down. Oh, God Yeonjun is looking at his lips.

********

“Can I?”

********

Okay. Screw it.

********

Soobin reaches for Yeonjun’s tshirt and presses their lips together. Adrenaline courses through him as he feels full, plush lips against his own. Soobin can’t even begin to feel embarrassed when he realizes how much more experienced Yeonjun is, he hopes he’s making up for it with how eager he is. Soobin contemplates dropping out of high school so he can pursue a career of kissing Yeonjun all the time everyday instead.

********

Yeonjun rearranges himself so he’s sat on top of Soobin, thighs on either side of Soobin, grasping at his hair, bringing their heads closer. Fuck, fuck, okay. Soobin can feel his breaths coming to him heavier now. He has half a mind to keep this innocent, but he can’t help but slide his hands over Yeonjun’s thighs. Yeonjun’s shorts hike up from where he’s straddled on Soobin, and he feels warm soft skin under his fingers. An embarrassing sound slips out of him, and he feels Yeonjun smile against his lips. 

********

Yeonjun wraps his arms tighter around Soobin’s neck and Soobin feels his tongue run along the seam of his closed lips. Soobin gulps before opening his mouth slightly, letting Yeonjun’s tongue slide inside his mouth. He tastes like toothpaste, sleepy and soft. Soobin wants to drown in it, keep in a bottle labeled ‘Yeonjun’. He’s really losing it.

********

They break apart after another second with a slick quiet sound, both of them running out of air. Soobin gasps, looking at the string of saliva connecting their bottoms lips. He feels Yeonjun’s breath, heavy and warm against him, panting. Yeonjun brings his fingers up to press into his dimples before pinching his cheeks with his thumb and index finger.

********

“I always wondered how soft you were. You’re like fresh bread, I just want to eat you,”

********

Soobin flushes at the implications, “Cute aggression is really a thing, huh,”

********

Grinning, Yeonjun closes the distance between them, pressing his lips to Soobin’s cheek, trailing down his jaw to nip at the skin. Out of instinct, Soobin shuts his eyes. He feels Yeonjun reach for his hands to place them on his waist, and Soobin lets out a shuddered sigh. Soobin wraps his arms around waist, pulling him closer so their chests flush against each other. He brings a hand up to cup the side of Yeonjun’s face, thumb brushing against the cheekbone. Soobin kisses Yeonjun’s cheek. Yeonjun is so solid against him, and he’s so happy right now he wants to cry-

********

Yeonjun’s phone alarm goes off, startling both of them. They’re both laughing, giddy. 

********

“I think you got dye on your hands.” Yeonjun says as he stands, turning it off, then leans into the sink to put his head under the faucet.

********

“I was a little distracted.” Soobin says, as he helps rinse out the dye from his hair. Yeonjun dries off, then he shakes his head like a wet dog, water droplets flying onto Soobin. Yeonjun hops to sit on the countertop and grins up at Soobin through dark blue, slightly damp hair. 

********

_Teenage dream,_ Soobin thinks faintly.

********

He wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck and brings him to stand between his legs. “I really like you, Soobin,”

********

“I like you too. Is this really happening, or is this a product of my imagination?”

********

Yeonjun looks at him amused, “You say that as if there aren’t a bunch of people at our school talking about _Soobin’s so tall, Soobin’s cute dimples, he looks so sweet but I heard he has abs underneath that bunny smile, too bad he’s dating Beomgyu-_ ”

********

“What are you talking about?! Nobody says that about me!”

********

“I can’t believe someone so smart could be so dumb at the same time. Truly, it’s amazing.”

********

“Yeah, well, you’re amazing.”

********

Yeonjun laughs and his head falls forward to rest on Soobin’s sternum. “I’m tired now… Can you carry me back to the bed?”

********

“Will you kiss me again if I do?”

********

“I’d kiss you again even if you didn’t.”

********

“Deal.”

********

********

When Taehyun and Beomgyu woke up the next morning, they weren’t completely surprised to find Soobin sprawled on top of Yeonjun, who has an arm wrapped loosely around his waist. Pillows seemingly abandoned on the floor in favor of using each other as pillows.

********

“Never underestimate my boy like that, Taehyun.” Beomgyu says.

********

He hears Taehyun grumble from under the comforter and a minute later hears a notification on his phone.

********

_Venmo: Taehyun Kang paid you $20 - i hate you_

********

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading until the end, i’m very appreciative! thank you for indulging in me 
> 
> **some notes**  
>  \- SCSBOA stands for southern california school band and orchestra association, i know it rolls off the tongue.  
> \- different circuits classify bands differently but usually they’re sorted by size, so a school like theirs is 6A, they might have like ~250-350 ish people in the band. bands usually compete with bands in the same class as them.  
> \- drillmasters are a brand of marching shoes, they’re really a fashion statement. i'm sure yeonjun cringed whenever he had to wear them.  
> \- shakos are military caps that a lot of marching bands wear as part of their uniform. they usually have something like a feather or something on them, and i remember people would compare the lengths of the feathers, “mine is longer than yours” because high school.  
> \- Elite is a test prep program that does SAT test prep, college consulting, tutoring, etc. all that good stuff, their clientele is probably mostly middle class asian families. i did Excel in high school.  
> \- also if you haven’t notice, i wrote all their names “first name last name” because #america but you can read it in your head as “last name first name”!
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/tapiocasoob) come say hi!


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